Post navigation

The next surgery is scheduled

We would have loved to do it sooner. We thought we might get scheduled before Christmas or in early January, but given the choice, I’d much rather have Dr. DeSnyder performing the surgery. So we will wait for her to return from maternity leave.

We don’t have a lot of details just yet. As the date gets closer, we will get more information.

From what we understand, this surgery will be a little bit longer than the past surgeries, and recovery will be quite a bit longer and trickier.

The breast surgeon will take four hours for her part. She will be doing the mastectomy. We were told quite awhile back that the plastic surgeon’s portion of the reconstruction was six or seven hours. That’s about a 10-hour surgery, by my count.

When I wake up, I’ll have drains on both sides and in my back. I think he told me I’d have five drains in all. Ugh.

I’m trying hard not to think too much about this. The drains have not been my friend. I hear of lots of people who get their drains pulled pretty quickly, but not me. I guess I’m an overproducer of lymphatic fluid. That’s something to be known for, huh?

With the past surgeries (especially the mastectomy), I had to prop my arm up on pillows to be able to sleep with the drains. I’m not sure how sleep will even be possible with drains on both sides and in my back. I mean, how do you even lay down? I will look like an octopus.

Anyone know how they sleep?

The good news is this: I have a lot of memories from the past year of feeling completely and utterly awful. Today, I feel really great. I still have some pain from radiation, but all-in-all, I feel good. It is good to have this perspective of the bad vs. good for next February when I have drains coming out in all different directions. I can be sure that I’ll eventually feel great again — even when it is hard to remember what feeling great feels like.

Can you tell I’m doing a good job of not thinking about it?

While I’m so very anxious to tackle the next step, I’m trying to focus on the fact that I have four months of acting like a normal person living a normal life. Fall is my favorite time of year, and I feel like I completely missed it all last year.

This year, I’m going to enjoy every last bit of fall and winter and all of the holidays that go with it. Cancer can shove it.

Cancer can absolutely SHOVE IT!! Don’t worry about the complexities of the surgeries. You’ve proven you can beat so many obstacles that when the time comes, you will overcome that challenge as well! Enjoy Fall!! This weather and temperature has been beautiful.

Yeah, stupid cancer! Shove it! You stole our girl long enough and we are taking her back! We are going to enjoy the holidays and this beautiful autumn season without you, thank you ver much. Yay!!! xoxo